Our Statement of Faith

Horizons International has adopted the Lausanne Covenant as our Statement of Faith. This statement is detailed, carefully drafted, and endorsed by mainline evangelical denominations. It expresses the position of all evangelical Christians worldwide. It was written during the 1980 International Congress on World Evangelization by a committee representing 150 nations.

This is a shortened version from the original. The full version can be found here

1. Bible

We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error, in the original manuscripts, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. 1 Timothy 3:16

2. God

We affirm our belief in the one-eternal, creator God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. Christ

We affirm that Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-man, who gave himself as a ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people. He died for our sins and was raised from the dead in triumph. He will return in glory to consummate our salvation and judge the world.

4. Holy Spirit

We believe in the person and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work.

5. Salvation

We believe that we, sinners are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, our only savior. Sinners must humbly confess their sins and repent, to receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ. By believing in Christ and receiving him, we are born again into a new life that never ends. Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:11-13; Acts 4:12; Luke 19:10.

6. Church

We affirm that all believers in Christ are members of his body, the church. We exist to glorify God by worshipping him and to serve God by reaching out to the lost locally and globally.

7. Baptism

As baptism is a symbol for Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, we affirm our conviction that only those who have personally trusted Christ as their savior should undergo water baptism by immersion.

8. Kingdom of God

God will establish and perfect his kingdom, and we look forward with eager anticipation to that day, and to the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell and God will reign forever. Revelation 11:15.

9. Missions

The Church is at the very center of God’s cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the gospel to the world. Our missionary calling requires the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The church must with all available means and at the earliest possible time ensure that every person from every nation, tribe and language will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and receive the good news.

10. Evangelism

To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead. He is now alive with God, the Father, to offer forgiveness of sins to all who repent and believe. Evangelism is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God.

11. World Concern

We affirm that governments are appointed by God to maintain justice and peace to all. We pray for the leaders of nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of faith and conscience. We express our deep concern for all who have been unjustly imprisoned, and especially for those who are suffering persecution and martyrdom for their testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ.

12. Social Responsibility

We affirm that loving our neighbor means concern for the social conditions of the world. Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, color, culture, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited.

13. Spiritual Warfare

We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate God’s purposes. We know our need to equip ourselves with God’s armor and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer.